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btriegel's review against another edition
4.0
If you don't know a lot about Chechnya (which I did not), I would recommend reading a little bit about the history first. This made is much easier to follow the story which jumps back and forth among years. A very detailed account of how life would have been during those war years.
threegoodrats's review against another edition
4.0
My review is here.
"Your life's work could be scrubbing piss from a toilet bowl. Work isn't meaningful just because you spend your life doing it." p. 53
"Khassan was studying the sheet of paper in his hand, where in the fifth sentence of the second paragraph, in the gap of a missing comma, he found the sorrow of his life." p.123
"Conversation seemed possible a moment after the round-faced man, looking like their younger brother, hoisted them into the truck bed. But the air clotted with doubt too thick for any words to pass." p.197
"Ramzan nodded, yes, of course he was required to wear a seat belt, just as he was required to give directions to a torture camp, because stupidity was the single abiding law of the universe." P.251-2
"Your life's work could be scrubbing piss from a toilet bowl. Work isn't meaningful just because you spend your life doing it." p. 53
"Khassan was studying the sheet of paper in his hand, where in the fifth sentence of the second paragraph, in the gap of a missing comma, he found the sorrow of his life." p.123
"Conversation seemed possible a moment after the round-faced man, looking like their younger brother, hoisted them into the truck bed. But the air clotted with doubt too thick for any words to pass." p.197
"Ramzan nodded, yes, of course he was required to wear a seat belt, just as he was required to give directions to a torture camp, because stupidity was the single abiding law of the universe." P.251-2
dunnadam's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book.
This book is what literature can be. It is the reason people read, the reason books are published, so we can get a glimpse of a life and see the ins and outs, and in the end relate it back to the circle of humanity that defines us all.
I would call this book fiction for men and place it at the top of that category. I believe the in-depth military workings and the details of war and death and torture will be too heavy for many women, although not being a woman, I'm not sure.
The book is funny, heartbreaking, wonderful. The world it conjures is so three-dimensional as to almost be a diorama. Wonderful complex characters and a slice of war-torn life told over five amazing days reiterate what it means to feel, to love, to be human. In a world with no black and white, we see the colour of humanity that lives in us all in this amazing enchanting book.
This will be at the top of the best of 2013 books, pick it up early.
This book is what literature can be. It is the reason people read, the reason books are published, so we can get a glimpse of a life and see the ins and outs, and in the end relate it back to the circle of humanity that defines us all.
I would call this book fiction for men and place it at the top of that category. I believe the in-depth military workings and the details of war and death and torture will be too heavy for many women, although not being a woman, I'm not sure.
The book is funny, heartbreaking, wonderful. The world it conjures is so three-dimensional as to almost be a diorama. Wonderful complex characters and a slice of war-torn life told over five amazing days reiterate what it means to feel, to love, to be human. In a world with no black and white, we see the colour of humanity that lives in us all in this amazing enchanting book.
This will be at the top of the best of 2013 books, pick it up early.
stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
3.0
Heartbreaking to read this fictional account set during wartime Chechnya in the early 2000s (and the earlier problems before that) and realize that, although these events occurred in my adult lifetime, I really hadn't paid attention to much of what went on other than the theater hostage situation. Ordinary people tortured and killed, villages destroyed, lives torn apart forever.
A lot of devastation and desolation here - not a feel-good book. I liked how nuanced the characters were - the bad guy is bad for a reason, the good guy is actually not all good. But none of the characters really stuck with me - I wasn't particularly rooting for any one person.
A lot of devastation and desolation here - not a feel-good book. I liked how nuanced the characters were - the bad guy is bad for a reason, the good guy is actually not all good. But none of the characters really stuck with me - I wasn't particularly rooting for any one person.
leahcatching's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
smfrazer's review against another edition
5.0
Highly recommend. Great character development, not a subject I knew much about, very well written.
lngoldstein's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ttodd86's review against another edition
5.0
Blew me away. Some of the most beautiful (and heart-wrenching) writing I've read.
novabird's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful read that blends intimacy of character, with a backdrop of the immediate traumatic landscape of Chechnya war. Marra weaves a complex plot set over 5 days, but also includes flashbacks over twenty years.